


You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home

by justyrae



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blow Jobs, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Groping, Hand Jobs, Kissing, M/M, Pining, Rimming, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-03
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-04-01 05:14:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4007254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justyrae/pseuds/justyrae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam's been in love with Louis for ages, so why does he agree to help Louis get someone else?</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Put Your Arms Around Me and I'm Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [petals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/petals/gifts).



> so this was supposed to be a 'Just Go With It' AU but tbh I've never seen the film and once I read that it was basically a fake dating trope, my mind just went off with it. hopefully you enjoy??
> 
> big thanks to J for the beta and for (always) letting me know when Louis was being too much of a dick.
> 
> title from 'Arms' by Christina Perri

**2022**

"Have you seen this?!" Louis demanded, bursting through the door to Liam's office without knocking and brandishing a letter in his hand. Liam, as per usual, jumped nearly a foot into the air even though Louis did this at least twice a day. No matter how many times Liam told him to knock (the number clearly surpassed a hundred years ago), Louis never did once.

"Seen what?" Liam asked as he tried to put his desk back in order while rubbing the sore spot on his knee where he'd knocked it against his drawers.

"This!" Louis threw the letter onto Liam's desk and he reached for it, feeling his heart sink immediately upon seeing the insignia of the university they'd attended.

"Oh." Liam paused, swallowing harshly. Truth be told, he _had_ seen it already. He'd gotten the very same letter in the post a few days before. He hadn't told Louis about it because he'd hoped that if he hid it in a drawer and never brought it up, perhaps it wasn't real. "Erm, no?"

"Read it!" Louis insisted as he dragged one of Liam's chairs over to his desk, making an awful screeching sound that set Liam's teeth on edge.

"Lou," he groaned softly. "Don't do that."

"Dunno why your chairs are so far away, Liam. Makes no sense."

Liam sighed as he looked back down at the paper, knowing far too well not to get into this argument _again_. It only led to Louis making fun of him for the way his office was arranged, and really it wasn't Liam's _fault_. He hadn't bothered to move things around when the office first became his and now he'd been there for so long that he'd gotten used to it. Honestly, Louis was the only one who saw any real issue with it, but Liam had a sneaking suspicion that even if he moved everything Louis would still complain about it.

He pretended to read over the letter, but he already knew what it said. It was an invitation to some reunion something or other at their alma mater, and Liam absolutely did not want to go.

"What about it?" he asked as he pushed the letter back across his desk towards Louis, who stared at him open-mouthed for a moment before he snatched the letter and started waving it around.

"What d'you mean, what about it?! This is _it_ , Liam!"

"Lou--"

"I'm getting another chance, mate, the least you could do is be happy for me."

Liam stifled a groan as he propped his head up in the palm of his hand; he'd been dreading this conversation ever since that stupid letter arrived.

The same sick feeling in the pit of his stomach he'd had when he'd read his own copy returned almost immediately as Louis began reading straight from the letter. Just seeing the name _Nick Grimshaw_ was enough to make Liam's stomach turn, but hearing it from Louis again made everything worse.

**2010**

"Who's _that_?"

"Who's who?" Liam glanced up from the passage he was trying (and slightly failing) to understand in his Sociology textbook to see Louis staring rather hungrily at someone over Liam's shoulder. He turned his head to see a tall, gangly boy standing on the other side of the library next to the stacks talking to someone else Liam didn't recognize. "No idea."

"He's gorgeous," Louis went on, "dibs!"

"I wasn't--" Liam started, but it was already too late. Louis had sprung up and out of his chair, leaving Liam alone at their study table.

Liam sighed heavily, forcing himself to go back to reading since he had an exam in a few days. It had been Louis' idea to go to the library in the first place, even if he never usually did any work no matter where he was.

As it always did with Louis, curiosity got the better of Liam and he peeked over his shoulder to see what Louis was up to. He wasn't even _talking_ to the boy he'd been so desperate to run over to; he was just standing next to the stacks nearby, pretending to be looking at the books on the shelf when he was clearly eavesdropping on the conversation.

Liam huffed and turned back to his book yet again, stamping down the feeling of jealousy that was filling his chest. All he'd wanted to do was study for his exam and now he was concentrating more on taking deep breaths to calm himself down than what was on the page in front of him.

Louis collapsed back into his chair nearly fifteen minutes later, looking starry-eyed and wistful and generally a hell of a lot happier than Liam felt at the same moment.

"His name's Nick," he said, as though he were prompting Liam to ask him more information.

"Okay," Liam replied as he stared down at his book, pretending to be engrossed in the text as best he could.

" _Liam_ ," Louis snapped as he yanked Liam's book away from him, ignoring his squawk of a protest as he slammed it shut and tossed it aside. "Focus."

"I was trying to," Liam said in a pitiful voice, "now I've lost my place."

"Your place can wait. This is important!"

Liam propped his head up against the palm of his head and huffed again. "Alright, so his name's Nick?"

"Yes," Louis answered with a smirk.

"Did you talk to him?"

"Uhh, no." Louis' smirk faded into a frown. "But I will."

"If you say so," Liam said with a sigh as he reached for his textbook. Louis pulled it out of his reach, his smirk returning instantly as he began his favorite game to play with Liam: keep-away.

As much as he wanted to and as hard as he tried, Liam couldn't stay angry at Louis for long. Soon he forgot all about this _Nick_ that had appeared out of nowhere, and he was smiling and laughing as he tried to wrestle his book back from Louis.

**2022**

"Lou, you had a million chances while we were at uni and you didn't do anything."

"Shut up, Liam. I did plenty." Louis huffed and crossed his arms. "S'not my fault he was too thick to understand my advances."

Liam sighed heavily. "What makes you think he'll understand now?"

"Older and wiser, of course." Louis shrugged. "At least, that's the hope. He could still be awfully thick. But I s'pose as long as his looks are still there I won't be wasting my time."

"That's...awful, Lou."

"Shut up," Louis repeated. "M'not looking for your approval, am I?"

"Then what'd you come in here for?" Liam sighed. "Don't you have real work you should be doing?"

"Probably," Louis answered with a sigh. "But I don't want to. Help me plan out my seduction, Liam."

"But--" Liam groaned. "You just said you don't need me."

"Did not," Louis replied haughtily. "Said I don't need your approval, not that I don't need your help. Honestly, keep up."

Liam put his head down on his desk with another long groan, trying to tune out Louis' babbling as he started going off about Nick bloody Grimshaw again.

It wasn't that Liam didn't want to help Louis because he did. He just didn't want to help Louis seduce someone else.

Being in love with Louis wasn't easy, but even Liam had to admit that it had gotten better after they left uni. At least now they didn't live together and Liam wasn't subjected to whoever Louis brought home after a night out.

Well, at least not until the next morning when Louis insisted on telling him every detail.

Maybe Liam was just kidding himself by thinking his life was any easier now than it was then. The only true solace he found on a daily basis was the fact that even after all these years, Louis still had no idea how he felt. Whether or not that was a good thing tended to change from day to day, but for the most part Liam preferred keeping it to himself. He'd rather have Louis as a friend than nothing at all.

When he finally managed to get Louis to leave his office nearly half an hour later, he noticed that Louis had left his letter behind. Liam picked it up and read it over again, hating the twinge he felt in the pit of his stomach as he read Nick's name under the list of those who were responsible for the event.

Maybe if he hadn't been a part of the planning, Louis wouldn't have wanted to go.

*

Halfway through the afternoon, Liam snuck out of his office and made his way down the hall to the office at the end of the hall.

"Liam!" Niall greeted warmly as Liam quickly shut the door behind him. "Hiding from Lou again?"

"Shut up," Liam mumbled miserably as he laid down on the couch against the wall of windows. Niall laughed fondly as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk.

"What'd he do now?"

"It's nothing," Liam mumbled into the pillow he'd shoved against his face.

"It's gonna be something," Niall said as he tapped his fingers on his desk, "and it's obviously not work-related, otherwise you'd just send me an email."

Liam lifted his head and glared at Niall, angry that he was so easy to read. He couldn't deny it though, and this was the problem with being good friends with your HR representative. Niall knew _everything_ about _everyone_.

The first time Liam had come to him with a problem, what was supposed to be a ten minute meeting turned into a two hour session where Liam basically laid his soul bare for Niall.

"I'm so sorry," Liam had said when he'd realized he'd just spilled every secret he had about Louis to Niall, "this isn't what I came here for."

"Doesn't matter," Niall replied with a wave of his hand. "Cathartic, innit? Besides, discretion is an HR rep's best friend."

He beamed widely and the knot in Liam's chest loosened enough that he was able to stop worrying. Liam had been coming to Niall with his problems ever since.

"C'mon then, what's Louis done now?"

"He wants to go to the reunion thing," Liam answered after he groaned miserably. "He never opens his post, why did he have to open that one?"

"Bit surprised you didn't nick it before he could."

Liam frowned. "M'not that crazy, Niall."

"We're not having that conversation again," Niall said with a chuckle. "So now you're being forced to go to the reunion, yeah?"

"You know Louis," Liam mumbled miserably. "He'd keep pestering me if I said I didn't want to go."

"I keep telling you, Li," Niall laughed, "you've got to stand up for yourself someday. God knows you could bench press Louis if you wanted, dunno why you're so intimidated."

Liam frowned again, making Niall only laugh harder.

"Just kidding, I know why." Niall let out an amused sigh. "You're a bit hopeless."

"You're not very helpful today," Liam grumbled.

"Alright, alright." Niall sat up straight in his chair and cracked his knuckles. "Let's come up with an excuse for you to not go to the reunion."

Liam sat up on the couch, sighing with relief as he smiled at Niall.

"You're the best."

**2012**

"What do you mean, you're not going?"

"I mean I'm not going," Liam said with an exasperated sigh. "I told you last week that I didn't want to go."

"Yeah, but you weren't serious." Louis frowned. "I thought you might just be scared about seeing--"

"No, Lou." Liam sighed again. "I meant it when I said I didn't want to go. This is more your thing than mine, anyway."

"But I need you there," Louis said with a slightly desperate whine, "to cheer me on and whatnot."

"You'll be fine," Liam mumbled as he turned away from Louis to go back to hiding his face in his pillow. "You won't even notice I'm not there."

"Not true!" Louis insisted, climbing onto Liam's bed and lying down on top of him. "It'll be all I'll think about all night long."

"Will not, you liar." Liam nudged Louis with his elbow to try and knock him off of his back, but Louis clung to him tightly.

"Will too. It'll ruin the whole night if you're not there, I'm telling you. You have to come!"

"But I don't want to," Liam moaned.

"C'mon, Li, please?" Louis started whimpering in Liam's ear like a puppy and wouldn't stop until Liam relented.

"You're a terrible person," Liam grumbled, pushing Louis away after he'd said he'd go, "you know that?"

"Yeah, but you love me anyway. It's part of my charm, really."

"Keep telling yourself that," Liam replied as Louis slid off of his bed and bounded out of the room.

"We're leaving in 20!" he called over his shoulder. Liam groaned loudly and pressed his face into his pillow.

He'd really hoped Louis would let him skip out on going to a club tonight. He didn't particularly like going to clubs on a good day, and the fact that Nick Grimshaw was going to be the DJ for the night simply made him not want to go at all.

For two years he'd been watching Louis throw himself at Nick time and time again, and for that entire first year Liam was sure that Nick hadn't even known Louis' name.

He thought that Louis would've given up by now, but no such luck. Liam was fairly certain at this point he was doomed to forever sit by and watch as Louis endlessly pursued someone who wasn't him.

Maybe he just needed a new best friend.

**2022**

"Where've you been?"

Liam nearly hit himself in the head with his own door when he jumped at the sound of Louis' voice. He was sitting at Liam's desk, in his chair, and from the looks of it he'd been there a while.

"What're you doing in here?" Liam countered once his racing heart returned to normal.

"I asked you first," Louis retorted. Liam sighed heavily as he shuffled inside, closing the door behind him.

"Was just in Niall's office," he muttered.

"Why?" Louis asked. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" His tone became slightly more frantic as he went on, "is someone being an arse? Just tell me who and I'll—"

"No," Liam interrupted with a groan, "it's fine, everything's fine, Lou. Just a chat, is all."

"Oh." Louis visibly relaxed and Liam let out his worried breath. "S'pose that's alright, then."

"Okay?" Liam blinked. No matter how many years he's spent having Louis as a best friend he'd never quite figured out how his mind works.

"Anyway," Louis huffed, "back to our earlier conversation, I was thinking..."

Liam groaned inwardly as Louis began rattling off the ideas he'd come up with in the few hours they'd been apart. He tuned Louis out, instead replaying what Niall had told him to say in his head.

It took a few repeats until Liam worked up the courage to say anything aloud, and he had to say it twice before Louis even realized he'd spoken.

"What?"

"M'not going to the reunion."

"Rubbish. 'Course you are!"

"No, Lou." Liam sighed. "I don't want to."

"Why not?" Louis frowned. "Is this about Harry?"

"W-What?" Liam sputtered, "no! This has nothing to do with--"

"You shouldn't let him stop you from going," Louis continued, ignoring Liam's protest. "Just because he broke your heart--"

"He didn't," Liam insisted, just like he had years ago when he and Harry had split up. He'd never told Louis the real reason they broke up, but Louis always assumed it had left Liam completely broken-hearted.

"Regardless," Louis went on, "clearly you need to go to this and show him what a mistake he made."

"I don't..." Liam groaned pathetically. "Louis, that's not the point. I don't want to go!"

"Nonsense!" Louis waved his hand at Liam. "You'll go, show Harry how brilliant you are and what he's missing, and you'll feel loads better about the whole heartbroken thing."

"I'm not--" Liam sighed, starting to resign himself to the fact that this conversation was never going to go his way. "How would I even do that? S'not like I'm that impressive anyway."

"Bite your tongue, that's my best mate you're insulting!" Louis huffed. "You're plenty impressive. Look at you! You've got this office, you're a..." Louis frowned, "what is it you do again?"

"I'm a--"

"Doesn't matter," Louis barreled on, "honestly the only thing you haven't got right now is a boyfriend."

"Lou--"

"Bit short notice to start dating someone now, though. Might be awkward if you bring them along, yeah?"

"Lou--" Liam tried again.

"No, that certainly won't work. It's got to be someone you know and who knows you."

"Louis, I don't think--"

"I'd say Niall, but that probably violates some company policy, no doubt."

"Louis!"

"I've got it!" Louis beamed. "Me!"

Liam froze. "What?"

"Me!" Louis repeated. "I'll be your boyfriend."

"What?" Liam couldn't believe his ears. "You can't--"

"Don't be silly. It'll work out magnificently."

"But, Lou, I thought the whole point of you going to this was to get Nick." Liam hated himself for reminding Louis of this, but as his best friend it was his duty.

"Hmm. You're right, aren't you?" Louis hummed and tapped his fingers on Liam's desk. "Well, Harry and Nick never met, did they? They couldn't possibly run into each other at the reunion, could they?"

"I don't--"

"It's a brilliant plan, honestly." Louis grinned. "When Harry's around, I'll hang all over you and make him infinitely jealous."

"And when Nick's around?" Liam asked in a mildly miserable tone, mentally kicking himself.

"You'll obviously remind him how lovely I am and how lucky he'd be to shag me."

"Obviously," Liam repeated.

"So it's a plan, then?" Louis gave Liam a hopeful look. "You'll come?"

In the back of his mind, Liam knew this was a terrible idea. He could already feel the regret building in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah, alright," he mumbled. He could never say no to Louis.

**2012**

Liam had been nursing his drink for over an hour as he huddled in a secluded corner of the nightclub, trying not to look too petulant whenever Louis actually looked at him. It's not that he was purposefully trying _not_ to have fun but, well, he wasn't.

From the moment they walked into the club, Louis had been on the lookout for Nick. He hadn't let Liam out of his sight at first, latching onto Liam's arm and dragging him around the club while keeping his eyes peeled at all times. This was how Liam had gotten a drink shoved into his hand in the first place - unable to refuse even the smallest of Louis' demands.

Still, Liam tried to keep his spirits up. He wasn't quite sure whether the fact that Louis thought his attitude was due to Harry was positive or not, but at least he had something else to pin the blame of all the stupid feelings he could hardly hide from his face.

Suddenly Louis appeared right in front of him, apparently having shoved through the mass of people from the other side of the room without Liam even knowing, not giving him the chance to plaster on a smile.

"You're not having fun," Louis said, standing on tip-toe to shout in Liam's ear.

"I am," Liam shouted back.

"No, you're not!"

"Well, I--" Liam sighed heavily, ducking his head to speak into Louis' ear. "I'm trying my best, alright?"

Louis pulled back and looked at Liam with such scrutiny that he could feel himself shrinking under Louis' gaze. In an effort to avoid Louis' eyes Liam took a long sip of his drink, staring down into the cup while he waited for Louis to speak again.

"M'sorry," Louis said, though Liam could barely hear it over the deafening music all around them. "I shouldn't have made you come."

"Lou--"

"No," Louis shook his head before he leaned in again, "I've been a shit friend, I know. Say the word and we'll leave right now, yeah?"

When Liam met Louis' gaze, the look in his eyes was so earnest and desperate for forgiveness that Liam mostly forgot why he'd been in a strop in the first place.

Sure, Louis could be a shit. In fact, Liam could probably count the number of times Louis hadn't been a shit throughout the years they'd known each other on one hand. But that truly was part of his charm, and half the reason Liam had fallen in love with him.

But the other half was due to the smaller, more reserved part of Louis that he only showed to a few people on a handful of occasions, and was what kept Liam around. Truth be told, he'd never even entertained the idea of not being friends with Louis, but sometimes he wished his heart would come back to him and not be kept in Louis' back pocket without him even knowing it.

"I'd like to," Liam replied, "leave, that is," he added as an afterthought. Louis nodded and smiled up at him.

"Done."

**2022**

Before he knew what had happened, the months had flown by and the reunion was right around the corner. Liam had been dreading it all along and now he actually had to face the reality that it was really going to happen.

Just within the last two weeks he'd been in Niall's office practically every day moaning about how awful the whole reunion weekend was going to be.

"I wish you'd just come with us," Liam mumbled miserably. "At least then I'd have someone to talk to."

"You'll have your boyfriend," Niall replied with a snide grin.

"Shut up." Liam buried his head in his hands. "This is all going to go to shit."

"Hell in a handbasket," Niall agreed.

"You're not helping."

"I've told you, Liam," Niall sighed, "you could've avoided this whole mess if you'd just stood your ground."

Liam frowned. "You know how Louis is."

"Yeah, and I know how you are, too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liam didn't know what Niall was implying, but he knew it probably wasn't good.

"It means that Louis _knows_ you can't say no to him, you numpty." Niall shook his head. "All he has to do is bat his eyes at you and you melt into the bloody floor."

"S'not true," Liam mumbled as he dropped his eyes down and tilted his head away from Niall.

Even if it was true, Niall didn't have to say it out loud.

Out of the corner of his eye, Liam saw Niall give him a knowing look which just made him feel even worse about the whole thing. It really wasn't his fault that he couldn't say no to Louis. And that maybe - just maybe - deep down he was sort of looking forward to having Louis pretend to be his boyfriend.

It wasn't really that he expected their relationship to change much more from what it was now, given that Louis tended to hang all over him all the time and had (on more than one occasion since they'd left uni) snogged Liam while very drunk. Liam just thought it would be nice to actually spend time with Louis for once and not worry about the possibility of being ditched for someone else.

Well, unless of course Nick Grimshaw showed up. Liam's mind wouldn't let go of that annoying little reminder, which was probably a good thing.

Even if Liam knew this weekend wasn't going to mean anything to Louis, he thought maybe just having a glimpse into having Louis be his boyfriend would be enough to last him the rest of his life. If this was as good as it was going to get, then he should embrace it as much as he can.

This idea, however, did not soothe any of Liam's worries.

 **I can't do thissss** , he texted frantically to Niall mere minutes before Louis was due to pick him up. **Come get me :(**

**Ur not a child at camp ! U haven't even left yet !**

Liam frowned at Niall's reply. He was in the middle of typing out a long, huffy reply when three loud knocks resounded at his front door. Even though he'd never been able to get Louis to knock at the office, he never just barged into Liam's flat.

The complexities of Louis Tomlinson's mind would never cease to amaze Liam.

He took a deep breath before he opened the door, becoming confused when he didn't see anyone on the other side. Just as he stuck his head out into the hallway, Louis jumped out from around the corner and scared the daylights out of him.

"Every time!" Louis cackled, dodging Liam's fist as he swung at him.

"Not funny, Lou," Liam grumbled.

"Aww, cheer up, Li. This weekend's going to be fun!"

"If you say so," he mumbled under his breath, stepping back into his flat for a moment to grab his suitcase. Louis didn't stop chattering about all his grand plans for the weekend ahead even after they'd pulled away from Liam's flat.

Liam listened dutifully, all the while reminding himself that this was all going to be fine. After this weekend he'd hopefully never have to hear the name 'Nick Grimshaw' again and he could live the rest of his life comforted by that fact.

Unless, of course, whatever Louis was planning actually worked.

Liam was frustrated enough without having to worry about Louis getting a proper boyfriend. He was positive that it was going to take a miracle to make it through this weekend without  his anxiety causing a stroke or something.

Upon reaching their hotel, Liam's anxiety reached an all-time high when they unlocked the door to their room and saw only one bed.

"Why's there only one bed?" Louis said in a confused tone as he shuffled through the door, tossing his bag aside as he started flipping through their check-in paperwork. "I thought…"

"Look," Liam said, pointing at the paper in Louis' hand as he looked over Louis' shoulder. "Says right there. One bed room."

"Yeah, meaning we share a room, not that there's only one bed!" Louis huffed. "Idiots."

"Lou," Liam said with a sigh as he took the paper away from him. "There's a space between 'bed' and 'room', y'see?"

Louis snatched the paper back and squawked indignantly.

"Those bastards!" He huffed again. "I wondered why it was so cheap."

Liam rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. "I'll go down to the front desk and see if we can get another bed or another room or something."

"Nah," Louis said, tossing the paperwork over his shoulder before he launched himself onto the bed. "Why bother? S'not like we've never shared a bed." He reached out for Liam's hand. "C'mon, feel how comfy it is!"

"Louis," Liam said in a soft warning tone, but Louis paid no mind at all. He pulled Liam down and immediately curled into his side, humming in content even as Liam struggled to regain the breath that had been knocked out of him.

"See? Comfy."

The pair laid like that for a while, listening to each other breathe alongside the gentle hum of the air conditioner. If he had his way, Liam would've stayed exactly like that all weekend.

"Still nervous, Li?" Louis asked softly, slightly startling Liam out of the half-sleep he'd fallen into.

"Hmm?" he replied, his mind still a few steps behind.

"Are you nervous about seeing Harry?" Louis asked.

"Not really," Liam replied. He could feel Louis smile against his chest, and Liam knew Louis thought he'd won. That he'd been able to defeat whatever demons Liam had drummed up in his mind when it came to thinking about Harry Styles, when in reality Harry hadn't even crossed Liam's mind in the first place.

"Good," Louis replied. "Just you see, he'll be falling all over himself by the end of the weekend."

"Oh?" Liam chuckled softly. "Why d'you say that?"

"I've got plans," Louis said as he patted Liam's stomach. "Just you wait and see."

"Alright," Liam answered dutifully though now there were butterflies fluttering around his stomach, making him nervous in a way he hadn't been only moments before.

**2011**

"Nervous?" Louis laughed. "What've you got to be nervous about? He already said yes!"

"He asked _me_ ," Liam reminded for the tenth time. "And why shouldn't I be nervous?"

"Because you'll be great and he'll love you," Louis insisted as he stretched out on Liam's bed and flipped through the pages of his textbook, not reading a single word, "and if he doesn't then it's his loss."

"That's not what I'm nervous about," Liam mumbled, turning his back on Louis and propping his head up in his hands as he tried to go back to reading his own textbook.

All he heard was the bounce of his mattress springs before Louis draped himself over Liam's back, knocking his textbook out of the way in spite of Liam's soft groaning.

"What're you nervous about?" he asked softly, tilting his head to press his nose against Liam's cheek and nuzzle until he pushed Louis away.

"It's stupid," he said as he unsuccessfully tried to push Louis' arms off of him. Louis wrapped around him tighter, clinging to him like a lifeline as he continued to badger Liam for information.

"Is not. C'mon now!" Louis reached down and twisted one of Liam's nipples, cackling in his ear when Liam shouted in pain.

"He's the first boy I've proper gone out with, alright?" Liam said in a rush, sighing heavily at the end. "What if I make a fool of myself?"

"Mate, you're going out with Harold. The boy makes a fool of himself every hour."

"Be serious, Lou!" Liam shoved him, this time managing to make Louis stumble back a little before he grabbed on again.

"Alright, alright. It can't be that different from dating a girl, can it?"

"No, but--"

"You're going for dinner, yeah? Then maybe catch a film, grab a bit of ice cream on the way home..."

"Lou--"

"Then a kiss on the cheek at his door, or if you're feeling impulsive go for a snog. But no further than first base, Liam, you're a respectable young man and I won't have you tainting your own good name."

Liam put his head down on his desk and dissolved into giggles, nearly forgetting what he was so nervous about.

"See?" Louis said with a grin. "You'll be fine."

"What if I mess it up?" Liam asked, speaking more to his desk than to Louis. "What if I go for a snog and he goes for the cheek?"

"Then he's mad, obviously." Louis scoffed and Liam lifted his head. "Is that what you've been all nervous about? Snogging a boy?"

"No," Liam mumbled, but his tone gave him away immediately. Louis cooed in his ear and hugged him even tighter.

"Why didn't you say so, Li? I'd be more than happy to give you some tips!"

"Tips?" Liam repeated in a tone filled with uncertainty. Sure, he'd thought about snogging Louis hundreds of times but now that the offer was on the table...he didn't know what to do.

"Yeah!" Louis replied. "C'mon, come over here."

He pulled on Liam's arm until he rose from his chair and followed Louis over to his bed, letting Louis sit him exactly where he wanted to.

"Louis, I don't think this is such a good idea," Liam said in a slightly shaky voice.

"Nonsense, it'll be fine." Louis beamed. "Now, do you want me to make the first move?"

Liam blushed profusely and looked away from Louis, nervously wringing his hands as he tried to make his voice work again.

"Li, c'mon. It's just us." Louis reached out and touched Liam's shoulder, sending a spark through his body. "Nothing's gonna change, I promise."

Liam sighed heavily before he looked at Louis again and nodded. Louis smiled at him and scooted closer, moving the hand on Liam's shoulder to gently cup his jaw.

He shut his eyes before Louis' lips touched his own, but he couldn't hold back the small gasp that came out when it happened. Louis pulled back for a second with a soft laugh before he kissed Liam again, slowly moving his lips against Liam's as he waited for Liam to relax.

Liam clenched his hands into fists for a moment before he gathered the courage to touch Louis' face in the same way. Louis took it as an invitation to open his mouth and swipe his tongue across Liam's lips. Before he knew what he was doing Liam's mouth opened and he started kissing Louis back properly.

His heart was racing and he'd absolutely never forget the way Louis' hands felt on him or the tiny breathless sounds coming from his mouth. Liam never wanted it to end.

Louis was the first to pull back, laughing softly as he pressed a few stray kisses to Liam's lips before he gently pulled Liam's hands away from his own face.

"Told you," he whispered. "Nothing to worry about."

**2022**

"S'pose we should go to the thing," Liam said in a slightly croaky voice. He'd ended up falling asleep with Louis still on top of him and had just woken up to Louis poking his nose.

"Probably," Louis replied as he poked Liam's nose again.

"Stop that," he groaned, batting Louis' hand away with great difficulty. His limbs hadn't quite woken up yet.

"Make me!" Louis lifted his hand, ready to strike again, when Liam gave him one good shove and pushed him off the bed entirely. Louis squawked loudly and Liam couldn't help but burst into laughter as he watched Louis sit up and glare at him.

"That was rude."

"Serves you right." Louis glared harder at Liam but didn't move to retaliate. "M'hungry."

"Well you can go get food by yourself," Louis snapped, "or you can carry me since you've obviously broken my arse."

"I have not," Liam said as he lifted himself off of the bed and stretched. "You've got too much padding."

"Liam James Payne!" Louis squawked again. "How very dare you!"

Liam beamed widely, quickly dashing into the loo to avoid the pillow Louis was getting ready to throw at his head. It hit the door with a resounding thud and Liam snickered to himself before he turned on the tap to splash some water on his face.

There were still butterflies in his stomach; they were bigger and fluttering more violently now, making him feel a bit sick. He wasn't sure if there was anything to actually be nervous about, but that didn't seem to help matters much.

When he reappeared in the main part of the room, Louis had moved from the floor back onto the bed.

"Changed your mind, then?" Liam said amusedly as he nudged Louis' foot. He lifted his head from where he was sprawled out across the middle of the bed and stuck his tongue out at Liam.

"Carry me!" Louis stretched out his arms to Liam and made grabby hands at him, to which Liam replied with a laugh. He grabbed Louis' hands and pulled him up from the bed, nearly knocking himself over when Louis' body collided with his own.

"Easy, Payno." Louis chuckled. "Wouldn't want to ruin the weekend by breaking your neck."

"I doubt that'd ruin the weekend," Liam mumbled as Louis headed for the door.

*

The first event of the weekend was an evening of drinks and "getting to know each other again." From the moment Liam walked into the room he wanted to go back to the hotel room and hide out for the rest of the reunion.

Of course, the first person he spotted was Nick Grimshaw.

"There he is," he mumbled to Louis, who quickly whipped his head around to look.

"Shit," he breathed out. "Yep, that's him."

"Now what?" Liam asked, turning his back on Nick and staring forlornly at the door across the room.

"Now..." Louis exhaled again, "we get a drink."

He grabbed Liam's arm and hauled him to the bar, absolutely not caring about the several people he nearly plowed down on the way.

"But..." Liam glanced over his shoulder back at Nick, who was talking and laughing with someone Liam didn't recognize, "what about--"

"I've got all weekend, haven't I?" Louis replied, hurriedly flagging down the bartender.

Liam let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the bar and waited for Louis to order. He'd rather hoped that he'd be able to sneak away once Louis spotted Nick. The last thing he wanted to do was to stick around and watch Louis flirt with Nick all night; perhaps the only thing he wanted less was to pretend to be dating Louis in front of Harry.

The whole situation was turning out to make Liam's heart hurt far more than usual.

Thankfully he hadn't seen Harry yet and he hoped that he wouldn't. Maybe he'd get lucky and Harry wouldn't show up at all and he wouldn't have to deal with his racing heart for the rest of the weekend. If anyone was going to see through this whole charade, it was Harry.

Liam's attention was snapped back to the present when the bartender set down several shots on the bar ahead of them, and Louis immediately picked up two and knocked them back in succession. He reached for a third but Liam caught his arm before he could drink that one as well.

"Steady on," he said with a mildly worried laugh. "If you drink too much too fast, you'll get sick."

"Will not," Louis replied in a haughty tone as he pulled his wrist out of Liam's grip and drank the shot. Liam frowned when Louis smirked at him, shaking his head when Louis let out a cough.

"M'not cleaning up after you if you vomit everywhere," Liam mumbled.

"I won't get sick," Louis insisted. He pushed one of the two remaining shots towards Liam as he picked up the last. "Cheers?"

Liam looked down at the shot before he hesitantly reached for it and met Louis' eye.

"Cheers."

Liam resolutely did not stare at Louis' throat as he swallowed his fourth shot, choosing to instead close his eyes and focus on not wincing at the burn from the tequila in his own shot. The sight of Louis' smile when Liam opened his eyes made his stomach turn as though he too had just drank four shots in a row, and Liam knew he couldn't hold this off any longer.

"Alright," he said quickly as he rubbed his hands together. "Off you go."

"What?" Louis asked with an uneasy chuckle and a curious look. "I don't…"

"This is what you came for," Liam went on, "go on, go talk to Nick."

"But," Louis blinked and cleared his throat nervously, "he's busy, he's talking to someone, I don't know--"

"Enough excuses," Liam continued, putting his hand on Louis' shoulder and pushing him in Nick's direction, "go on, now."

Louis whimpered pathetically, barely making it past Liam at all before he turned on his heels.

"Can't I just have one more--"

"No," Liam answered resolutely, "you've had enough for now, be off with you!"

Louis huffed, quickly darting his hand out to pinch Liam's nipple with surprising accuracy before he disappeared into the crowd. Liam mumbled curses under his breath as he rubbed the sore spot, still baffled after all these years how Louis always managed to find his nipple even under all these clothes. Liam turned back to the bar, refusing to let his mind wander further down the path of those thoughts and hoping his cheeks weren't too red because of them.

He waved down the bartender and ordered a pint, feeling even more embarrassed when the bartender asked him what beer he wanted and he replied with 'whatever, I don't really care' and received a rather annoyed look in return. Liam tried not to be too bothered with it, but he had more important things to worry about than what type of beer to order when he probably wouldn't drink very much of it anyway.

He did, however, tip far more than he probably should've (unable to stop his mind from playing Louis' voice saying _really, Liam, you're not the bloody Queen_ in his head) when he paid for the pint, but he couldn't stop himself. He also ended up paying for the five shots Louis ordered, knowing full well that Louis had probably forgotten about them by now.

Liam shut his eyes and groaned under his breath when Louis' laugh rang out clear and loud over the din of everyone else's conversation. As much as Liam wanted to fight the urge to turn around and look at the two of them, he lost his own battle fairly quickly and glanced over his shoulder.

What he saw made his heart both swell and also feel like it was going to drop into the pit of his stomach at the same time.

Louis' smile was big and bright, clearly showing that his feelings for Nick hadn't diminished at all over the years. It warmed Liam's heart to see him so happy, but at the same time seeing a similar smile on Nick's face made Liam's heart ache so much that he had to turn away.

He picked up his pint for the first time and took a long sip, nearly letting himself run out of air before he put it back down to take a breath. He gasped harshly once he'd swallowed, pressing his forehead into the palm of his hand in an effort to get a grip. He glanced down at his watch, trying to determine if he'd spent enough time there already to consider it well-attended enough for the night, before glancing over his other shoulder at the door and seeing another familiar face enter.

"Oh, fuck," he mumbled under his breath at the sight of Harry.

With all the time he'd spent worrying about this weekend, he hadn't stopped to worry about how he'd feel when he actually saw Harry. His stomach felt as though it had flipped upside-down and then back again several times and it was a wonder he didn't feel the need to vomit then and there.

Harry looked so _good_ , and Liam felt like he was back at uni all over again and seeing Harry approach him for the first time. He'd never had anyone fancy him before in the way that Harry did, he'd only ever pined for people from afar and most of that involved Louis anyway.

Liam forced himself to snap out of his own thoughts when he realized that Harry was actually heading _towards_ him and his chest seized up in a panic.

He hadn't planned on this. He didn't know what to do, how to handle Harry without Louis being by his side. He couldn't do this.

Stumbling off of his stool with far less accuracy than he would've liked, Liam ducked into the crowd and weaved his way around to dodge Harry and head for the door. He didn't spare a glance in Louis' direction, too preoccupied with making it out of the room before Harry could reach him.

It wasn't until he'd made it back to the hotel room that he realized he'd left Louis alone - or, well, not _alone_ but he'd left without telling him at least - but he couldn't help but wonder if Louis had even noticed. He pulled out his phone to send Louis a text, but couldn't bring himself to actually type anything at all.

Liam groaned pathetically as he collapsed face-first onto the bed, whining to himself as he tried to remove his jacket without getting up. It worked out in the end; he managed to take off his clothes without actually standing up again though it took far longer than it should've.

He fumbled around for the light switch on the bedside table, still pressing his face into the pillow and refusing to move any more than the necessary bare minimum as though he were a petulant child. Part of him was glad no one was around to see his behavior, though the bigger part wished he hadn't pushed Louis towards Nick so he wouldn't be feeling so lonely.

*

When Liam woke up the following morning, he couldn't remember falling asleep. He shifted slightly and realized there was a warm body pressed against his back, thankful that with a tiny turn of his head he confirmed it was Louis snuggled up behind him. Liam shifted again, thinking to himself that he didn't even remember when Louis came back the night before when Louis made a soft noise in his sleep and curled his arms tightly around Liam's midsection.

This would've been all well and good if he hadn't pressed his hips against Liam's backside - instantaneously making Liam go stiff and turn bright red at the same time.

"Oh my god," he breathed out in a whisper as he shut his eyes tightly. Liam and Louis hadn't shared a bed since they left uni, but Liam never forgot the first time he woke up with Louis' morning wood pressed against the small of his back. He'd told himself that it's just biology, it happens all the time and it doesn't _mean_ anything.

Still, it's enough to make his own morning wood turn into something a little more awkward to deal with.

It's difficult enough to get out of bed on any other day, but having a still-asleep Louis clinging to him for dear life is making it even worse for Liam. He finally managed to extricate himself after several minutes of tiny movements toward the edge of the bed, extremely thankful that he didn't wake Louis up in the process.

Liam shut himself up in the bathroom for the second time that weekend, immediately running a very cold shower in order to keep himself from doing something he'd probably regret.

When he finally emerged from the bathroom nearly an hour later, Louis was still in bed but started to stir while Liam picked out his clothes for the day.

"Time s'it?" Louis asked with a yawn, arching his back in an obscene stretch that made Liam's cheeks turn red all over again.

"Late," Liam answered, clearing his throat as he pulled on a fresh pair of trousers. "Probably missed breakfast."

"Shit," Louis grumbled as he collapsed back onto the bed. Liam looked at him, still dressed in his trousers from the night before - apparently only having had the energy to take off his shirt before falling asleep - and felt an overwhelming sense of fondness wash over him.

Liam was so hopelessly in love with this boy, and it was never going away.

"C'mon," he said as he tugged the covers away from Louis. "If you get up now we can grab lunch before the footie match."

"I forgot about that," Louis said with another exhausted groan.

"You? Forget about footie?" Liam gasped. "I've never heard of such a thing."

"Piss off," Louis replied, but the smile on his face when he turned towards Liam cancelled out the heat of his words. He pulled himself out of bed and shuffled over to his suitcase while Liam sat down on the edge of the bed and began to tie his shoes.

Curiosity was starting to get the better of him; he could feel the itch under his skin as he searched for the right words in his mind.

"H-How was last night?"

Louis made an uninterested noise as he rummaged through his suitcase, making Liam feel even more nervous than before.

"Not good?"

"No, it was good." Louis shrugged, still not looking Liam in the eye. "Y'know, a bit mad after all these years."

"Y-Yeah," Liam replied, even though he wasn't sure he understood what Louis was saying. Truth be told, he wasn't really saying much of anything and that was making things worse. "Gonna see him at the match, you think?"

"S'pose I will." Louis pulled on a new shirt and turned to look at Liam. "Where'd you run off to last night?"

"Oh," Liam stared down at his shoes as he began to mumble, "I, um, saw Harry and...left."

"You saw Harry?" Louis sat down on the bed next to Liam and frowned. "What'd he say? Why didn't you come get me??"

"Because-- I thought--"

"Doesn't matter," Louis interrupted, tossing his arm around Liam's neck and pulling him close. "Obviously it's time for one of my brilliant plans, yeah?"

"Louis..."

"Hush, Liam. It's all going to work out, believe me."

*

By the time Liam and Louis finished having lunch, they were almost late getting to the football pitch. Nearly every seat in the stands was already taken, but they managed to find one and consequently start bickering over who would sit in it.

"No, Lou, it'll be fine, you take it!"

"Absolutely not, you sit down, Liam." Louis crossed his arms. "I'll just sit on your lap."

"You'll...what?" Liam blinked, positive he'd made that last part up in his head.

"Sit on your lap," Louis repeated as he pushed Liam down into the seat and did just that. "See? Perfectly fine."

"Y-Yeah," Liam replied as he hesitantly put his arms around Louis' waist. Louis grinned as he wrapped one of his arms around Liam's neck and leaned in close.

"Besides," he whispered in Liam's ear, "must keep up appearances if Harry spots us, yeah?"

"What about if Nick--" Liam began, but Louis put a finger to Liam's lips and shushed him.

"The match is starting," he said, shifting around in Liam's lap to face the pitch properly and making Liam wince. It was going to be a _very_ long match.

Liam hardly paid attention at all to the actual match given that he was very distracted by how much Louis was squirming on his lap. Liam liked football as much as the next person, but he had to admit that watching Louis watch football was far more entertaining (at least to him) than paying attention to the actual match.

The whole crowd cheered when their team won against the opposing university (Liam suspected they were rivals but he couldn't be bothered to try and remember any particular details from uni when Louis kept moving around on his lap), and Louis was so overjoyed that he grabbed Liam's face and pressed a sloppy kiss against his cheek.

The moment was gone before Liam could process it fully, though he was certain the flush on his cheeks was sure to remain for the rest of the day.

After the teams left the pitch, some of their fellow alumni started their own pick-up game of football and Liam could tell Louis was itching to join.

"What's stopping you?" he asked, after Louis had declined the offer to join.

"Shouldn't abandon you, should I?" he replied. "I won't have you disappear on me again."

"I won't run away," Liam said with a roll of his eyes. "Scout's honor."

"I'm holding you to that," Louis said as he stood up from Liam's lap. "Someone's got to be cheering me on from the sidelines."

"Always am!" Liam called after him as he ran down the stairs, so eager to join in on the game.

Liam rubbed his legs, partially trying to regain the feeling back in his thighs but also he'd become cold the moment Louis stood up and he wanted the warmth back. Eventually he rose to his feet and made his way down the stairs of the stands, deciding he'd rather watch from a closer distance than stay in the stands by himself.

No more than ten minutes after Liam made it down to the pitch, Louis scored a goal. Liam cheered and laughed as he watched Louis do a lap around the pitch, shouting in joy. He was so distracted that he didn't realize anyone was standing right beside him until he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Harry no less than a foot away.

"Hi, Liam."

"H-Harry," he choked out. "I mean, hi. Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Liam," Harry repeated with a laugh. "S'been a while, yeah?"

"Yeah," Liam replied with a nervous laugh. "H-How are you? You look good."

"Thanks," Harry replied with a warm smile as ducked his head bashfully, "so do you. I thought I saw you--"

"Liam! Liam!" Louis shouted, interrupting Harry as he suddenly launched himself onto Liam's back and nearly knocked him over. "Did you see??"

"Yes, Lou, I saw," Liam answered with an amused chuckle as he tried to steady the both of them while Louis continued to cling to his back. "You were brilliant."

"I was, wasn't I?" Louis said, pressing his face against Liam's cheek so he could feel his grin. Louis nipped at the skin of his neck for a second, just enough to make Liam gasp in surprise and blush before Louis turned his attention to Harry.

"Hi Louis, good to see you again."

Liam felt Louis' grip tighten around him as Louis tucked his head into the crook of Liam's neck before he answered, "likewise, Harold."

"It's nice to see you two have kept in touch," Harry said, and Liam noticed the way Harry lifted his eyebrow and how his tone changed to amusement at the end of his statement. He hoped Louis didn't notice the same but Liam had a feeling he didn't considering he was preoccupied with nuzzling his face against Liam's neck.

"Louis," Liam chastised softly, knowing full well that they were being rude. It didn't matter how much he'd been dreading seeing Harry after all this time, he still didn't want to be rude.

"Liam," Louis answered in a sing-song before attaching his mouth to Liam's neck again, though this time he didn't pull back after a few seconds.

"Louis!" Liam cried out, trying to pull away as he let out an awkward laugh.

"Sorry," Louis said with a snide grin, sounding anything but sorry, "can't help myself."

"Well," Harry said, pausing to clear his throat and Liam blushed profusely, "I should be going, but you're going to the dinner tonight, right?"

"Yeah," Liam replied.

"We'll be there," Louis added before Liam could say another word, pulling Liam back into his arms as he stared Harry down.

"Brilliant," Harry said, darting his eyes away from Louis and smiling at Liam again, "we can catch up then."

"Sounds good." Liam nodded and waited until Harry was far enough away before rounding on Louis. "What was that?!"

"What?" Louis asked. "Think it worked out quite well."

"You--"

"Though not my best work," Louis said as he put his hand under Liam's chin and turned his face so he could admire the mark he'd left on Liam's neck. "I'll have to improve it later."

Liam smacked his hand away and Louis cackled.

"What're you in a strop about? Didn't you see? He was positively green with envy!"

"Was not," Liam mumbled. "That was awful."

Louis scoffed and pinched Liam, who smacked him again in return.

"You'll have to put forth more of an effort tonight, Li." He sighed. "I've got even better plans in mind."

"Should I be worried?" Liam sighed softly and hung his head. "I should be worried."

**2012**

Liam hadn't known what to expect when he got a text from Harry to come to his flat, especially since the text was devoid of Harry's usual barrage of emojis and x's. After the fact he supposed he should've known, should've expected the worst.

"I just don't think it's working anymore."

Liam blinked, speechless as he stared at Harry whose eyes were firmly fixed on the floor as he sniffled. They were sitting on opposite ends of Harry's sofa, and normally Harry would've crawled right onto Liam's lap but this time he kept his distance.

Liam knew it was his fault. He didn't see it coming like he should've, but he knew it was nothing Harry had done. Harry was the perfect boyfriend.

"Why?" he found himself asking. Harry let out a hollow laugh and wiped at his eyes before he looked at Liam.

"You know why. C'mon, Liam."

"I don't--"

"It's Louis." Harry sighed. "It's always been Louis."

"Louis?" Liam repeated. "No, I told you, I--"

"It's alright, Liam. I..." Harry dropped his gaze back down to his hands and laughed again, this one not hollow but rather self-deprecating and the sound made Liam's heart ache. "I've always known, I think. Just didn't want to admit it."

"Harry..."

"I wanted you all to myself," Harry went on, giving Liam a sad smile, "but you've always been his."

"Harry," Liam tried again, more firmly this time even as tears began to form in his own eyes.

"Liam," Harry pleaded, "it's done, alright? Hard part's over." He sniffed again and rubbed at his eyes. "For me, at least."

"I'm sorry," Liam said as his bottom lip started to wobble. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I know," Harry said as he reached out to squeeze Liam's hand. "I'll be alright. And you will be too, yeah?" He smiled. "After all, you've got Louis."

Liam dropped his head into his hands and took a deep breath. Harry got to his feet, leaning down to press one last kiss to the top of Liam's head before he left the room, and all Liam heard was the gentle snick of the door to Harry's room closing.

He left Harry's flat as quickly as he could, walking briskly as the tears streamed down his face. He'd never meant to hurt Harry. This was all his fault.

**2022**

Liam was all out of sorts when he and Louis went back to their room to get ready for the dinner that night. It was a black tie event, which they'd prepared for wardrobe-wise, but Liam had only ever seen Louis in an extremely nice suit on one other occasion - his mum's wedding - and it had made it very hard for Liam to concentrate on anything other than how nice his bum looked.

This did not bode well for the night ahead.

"Maybe I just won't go," he tried. "Y'know, this way you don't have to worry about me and Harry, and--"

"Nonsense," Louis interrupted. "I'd worry about you more if you didn't go, don't you know that by now?" He sat down on the bed next to Liam and hooked his arm around Liam's neck, pulling him in close. "I like to keep you around, so I know you're happy."

"But, Lou--"

"And if you're not happy," Louis went on, ignoring Liam's protest, "I've got to be there to make you happy again."

With that, Louis jumped up from the bed and headed into the bathroom, having called first dibs on the shower. Liam let out a deep breath once the door closed behind him, and fell back onto the bed and covered his face with his hands.

As much as he loved having Louis' attention on him, and as much as he wished what Louis had done at the football pitch had been real,  his mind wouldn't let him forget that the real reason Louis had come to this reunion in the first place was for another man entirely.

He didn't _want_ to keep bringing Nick up, but the last thing he wanted to have happen was for Louis to miss his chance _again_ and keep harping on it for another ten years.

Liam could handle keeping his feelings to himself for the rest of his life as long as he didn't have to hear about Nick Grimshaw too.

By the time Louis re-emerged from the bathroom, Liam had accidentally fallen asleep. He'd meant to be ready to shower right after Louis, but somehow he'd managed to get too comfortable on the bed and closed his eyes _just for a second_.

He woke up with a start when Louis climbed on top of him and started shaking his wet hair over Liam's face, grinning like a madman while doing so.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!"

"Dammit, Lou," Liam grumbled as he wiped his face off and tried to push Louis away. "You're such a bloody menace."

"Yeah, well," Louis said as he climbed off the bed, hitching his towel up further around his waist once he was on his feet, "you're the one who's stuck with me this long."

Liam didn't answer, partially because he couldn't argue the fact but _mostly_ because before Louis pulled up his towel it had been so low it exposed half of his arse. If anyone else had seen it, they most certainly wouldn't have blamed Liam for being distracted.

He rushed into the bathroom as quickly as he could, cursing himself for every passing thought in his mind that revolved around Louis and his bum. As he stood under the spray of the shower, teeth nearly chattering from the freezing temperature, he rued the day he ever decided to become friends with Louis bloody Tomlinson.

**2010**

Liam had worked extremely hard to get into uni. He knew he wasn't the smartest bloke in the world, or even just in his class, but he was hard-working enough to make up for it.

He was determined to not let it slip away once he got to uni. He had to do the best that he could, no matter what.

After a few weeks, he was already stressed to the point of exhaustion.

As he dragged himself into class one day, a boy he'd never seen before followed him in and sat down in the seat next to him. Liam looked around, since nobody ever sat next to him in class, before nudging the boy and whispering, "are you supposed to be in here?"

"'Course I am."

Liam frowned. "No, you're not. I've never seen you in here before."

"Do you know every student here?" The boy raised an eyebrow. "Every student in the university?"

"No, but--"

"Then for all you know, I do belong in this class." The boy grinned and Liam frowned.

"But you don't."

"Shut up," he replied, pressing his hand to Liam's face and pushing it away. "What're you going to do, make me leave?"

"No, I just--"

"Excuse me," the professor's voice called out from the front of the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're good!" the boy called back with a grin, giving the professor a thumbs-up much to Liam's horror.

"What're you doing??" he whispered harshly.

"What?" The boy's grin never faltered. "You need to relax, mate."

"I don't--"

"If you're going to continue to disrupt my class," the professor called out again, "I'm going to ask you to leave."

"Can do!" The boy grabbed Liam's arm and pulled him out of his seat, dragging him from the lecture hall even as Liam protested.

"What're you playing at?" Liam demanded. "I don't even know you, and now--"

"I'm Louis," he said, sticking his hand out. Liam stared at it in confusion, his manners winning out over his anger as he shook it.

"Fine, Louis, you can't--"

"And you are?"

"Liam," he answered with a huff, "now see here--"

"My dear Liam," Louis said, ignoring Liam's attempted rant as he threw his arm around Liam's shoulders, "I've seen you around, mate, and you're gonna put yourself in an early grave."

"I...what?"

"You need to loosen up!" Louis shook him, grinning all the while.

"I don't..."

"We'll start out small, don't worry." Louis patted Liam's chest. "First off, you've already skipped class so that's a plus."

"Yeah," Liam replied in a resigned tone, wondering how he was ever going to get the notes from the lecture he was missing.

"The next step is to go to the pub and get drunk!"

"I don't think--"

"Liam, don't argue with me." Louis pinched his nipple and Liam squawked in pain. "This is for your own good!"

" _This_ is for my own good?" Liam asked as he rubbed the sore spot Louis had just pinched.

"Absolutely." Louis grinned. "Stick with me, Liam, and you'll be just fine."

**2022**

Louis looked just as good in his suit as Liam remembered, only this time there was nothing keeping Louis away from him. No matter how many times Liam scanned the banquet hall, there was absolutely no sign of Nick anywhere he looked. He tried several times to bring this up with Louis - still keeping Louis' best interest first in his mind - but every time he opened his mouth, he was interrupted.

First it was getting drinks, then Louis practically shoved some strange piece of food into his mouth that looked like a tart but tasted nothing like what Liam had expected and he nearly choked in surprise, and when they finally reached their table Louis brushed the topic off entirely.

"He's around somewhere, I'm sure." Louis waved his hand around before scooting his chair closer to Liam's and dropping his arm below the table to put the same hand on Liam's thigh. "Now, have you seen Harry?"

"No?" Liam squeaked out as he dropped his hand on top of Louis' in an effort to get him to stop _squeezing_ his thigh and making it difficult for Liam to concentrate.

"Bet he'll turn up soon. Probably lurking close by, keeping an eye on you for sure."

"He is not," Liam said with a frown. "M'sure he doesn't even--"

"Hush, Liam." Louis pushed his drink towards him. "Drink this, it'll settle your nerves."

Liam frowned harder but did what Louis asked, mumbling under his breath about how his _nerves_ were most certainly not due to Harry.

The problem was that Liam's drink never seemed to empty. He wasn't sure how Louis was doing it, but every time he thought he'd finished one another appeared almost instantly. On the other hand, Louis was drinking just as much as - if not more than - Liam, and he seemed fairly adamant about not leaving Liam’s side even for a second.

Liam was overwhelmingly thankful when the meal was finally served, even if he had more than a little trouble with his utensils. Louis' giggling certainly didn't help.

"You're doing it wrong!"

"I am not!" Liam insisted as he concentrated very carefully with his steak knife and fork, not wanting to miss the meat entirely and end up somehow cutting his plate or the tablecloth.

"You are," Louis said with a snicker, "let me do it!"

"You've got your own!" Liam said as he put his elbow down on the table to shield his plate from Louis' wandering hands. "This one's mine!"

Louis didn't say anything and Liam thought he'd won, smiling down at his steak as though it would congratulate him for successfully fending off Louis when he felt a hot rush of air by his ear.

"This one's mine," Louis whispered in a sultry voice Liam had positively never heard before, but before he could ask Louis what the hell he was talking about he felt Louis' hand on him again. This time he bypassed Liam's thigh entirely and pressed the heel of his hand directly between Liam's legs.

He was so startled that he immediately dropped his utensils and jumped in his seat, again trying to grab Louis' hand and pull it away from him.

"Louis!" he whispered harshly, "what're you--"

"Shh," Louis said, brushing his lips against Liam's ear, "Harry's watching."

Liam tried to look around to see where Harry was sitting, but before he could spot him Louis had removed his hand and picked up his abandoned steak knife. Liam watched as Louis swiftly cut into his steak and speared it onto his fork before lifting it up and presenting it to him.

"C'mon," he said, staring at Liam's mouth intently. "Open up."

Liam's mouth dropped open and he kept his eyes squarely on Louis' as he was fed, surprised that he had enough control over himself to chew and swallow given the way Louis kept staring at him. Louis chuckled as he gently set the fork back down on Liam's plate before he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Liam's cheek.

"Good boy," he whispered, sending a shiver down Liam's spine.

Louis slowly sat back in his seat, smiling wickedly to himself as he began eating his own meal as though he hadn't just turned Liam's entire world upside down. Liam was absolutely positive his cheeks would never return to their normal color, nor would his heart ever stop racing. He tried extremely hard not to make any sounds as he subtly crossed his legs under the table, but his own knee betrayed him by knocking against the underside of the table.

He winced and inhaled sharply, catching a glimpse of Louis sneaking a peek at him while trying to hide his own smug smile. Liam immediately reached for his drink and gulped the rest of it down before looking around for someone who could get him a refill.

Two more rounds later, the meal had been cleared from the table and Louis was leaning into Liam once again. He'd started giggling after he finished his drink, and it didn't seem like he was going to stop any time soon.

"What're you giggling about?" Liam asked in what he hoped was a whisper, though his ears had been ringing fairly consistently for the last hour so he couldn't be sure.

"Nothing," Louis replied as he tilted his head up. "What're you giggling about?"

"M'not giggling," Liam replied, ruining his defence by starting to giggle.

Louis sat up, pulling his chair so close to Liam's they may as well have been sitting on one chair already, and pressed his face against Liam's cheek.

"Guess what?" he whispered, pulling himself back just enough so that Liam's eyes could focus clearly on Louis' face.

"What?" Liam whispered back.

"Harry's watching again," Louis said before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Liam's. Louis' hand came up to cup the side of Liam's face, keeping him there even though Liam had started kissing him back immediately.

Louis pulled back with a breathless laugh, knocking his head against Liam's shoulder as he inhaled deeply.

"I...um," he said, breaking off into another laugh, "I need a wee."

"Alright," Liam said in a confused tone, his gaze darting back and forth between Louis' eyes and lips. He wanted to kiss him again, he never wanted to _stop_ kissing him.

"Yeah," Louis said as though he was trying to remind himself of what he'd just said. He stood up quickly from his seat, and almost fell over as a result. Liam quickly grabbed onto him to help him steady himself, and Louis looked down at him with a grin.

"You alright?" Liam asked.

"Might need a bit of help getting there," Louis replied.

"Alright." Liam nodded and slowly got to his feet, all the while keeping his hands on Louis. He told himself that this was perfectly fine, that Louis would probably not find his way to the bathroom or back to the table if Liam didn't help him.

The fact that Liam wasn't quite sure where the loo was at this point in time was neither here nor there, clearly.

Somehow, and in retrospect Liam would have no idea how he didn't see this coming, he most certainly did not expect Louis pulling him into the bathroom along after him. Nor did he expect being pushed up against the door and having Louis kiss him again.

He didn't expect it, but he didn't fight it.

Liam wrapped his arms around Louis' waist and held him close, gasping against his mouth as Louis fisted his hands in Liam's hair and pulled hard. Liam groaned loudly as he pulled his mouth away from Louis' to start kissing his neck while his hands slid down Louis' arse and pulled their hips together.

"Fuck," Louis breathed out harshly, gasping for breath as he started grinding his hips against Liam's.

Liam's mind was devoid of any thoughts that weren't _Louis_ or _want_ or _yes_. The voice of his conscience in the back of his mind was silent for the first time all weekend, all thanks to the absurd amount of alcohol he'd imbibed over the last few hours. Every fibre of Liam's being was united in his desire for Louis.

"Louis," he choked out between breaths, suddenly acutely aware of Louis' hands tugging on his belt buckle.

"C'mon," Louis muttered to himself, pulling away from Liam just enough to be able to see what he was doing. He looked utterly wrecked, his quiff was falling across his forehead and his mouth was red from kissing. Liam wanted more.

The moment Louis managed to get his belt unbuckled, Liam grabbed the back of Louis' head and crashed their lips together again. They both moaned when Louis slid his hand inside Liam's trousers, gripping his cock tightly as he started to stroke it.

Liam whimpered against Louis' mouth, his hips bucking helplessly upwards into Louis' hand as they continued kissing. Liam tried to get Louis' belt undone but refused to stop kissing him long enough to do so.

He ended up forcing his hand down Louis' trousers, not caring about the belt digging into his arm one bit once he had Louis' cock in his hand.

Louis broke away from Liam's lips to moan loudly and curse, burying his head in the crook of Liam's neck as they both touched each other. Louis' free hand gripped Liam's shoulder tightly while Liam kept his tangled in Louis' hair.

Liam gasped again when Louis reattached his lips to Liam's neck and started sucking the skin, intent on leaving a dark mark this time.

"Louis," Liam moaned, starting to feel the telltale warmth in his belly as the movement of his hips became jerky and desperate. "Louis, I--"

"Yeah," Louis groaned in return, "c'mon."

Liam shut his eyes tightly and tugged Louis' hair so hard he forced Louis to pull away from his neck. He let out another long moan as he came, Louis following shortly after with a string of curses that on any other occasion would've made Liam blush.

Louis collapsed against Liam, both of them panting harshly with their hands still down each other's trousers. He nipped at the mark he'd left on Liam's neck, whimpering when Liam's grip on his hair tightened again.

"Fuck," Liam mumbled. Louis groaned softly against his neck before lifting his head and turning Liam's face towards his own to kiss him again.

"Think we should get out of here," he muttered. "Go back to the hotel."

"Yeah," Liam replied, and Louis rewarded his agreement with another kiss.

How they managed to make it back to their hotel in one piece, Liam wasn't sure. All he could remember was the feel of Louis' hands on his skin, the taste of Louis' tongue on his lips. His mind was muddled with alcohol and desire, not allowing his normally better judgment come through and realize what was actually happening.

Not that Liam didn't _know_ what was happening. It was everything he'd ever wanted for all the years he'd been friends with Louis. He'd just always imagined it happening a little differently.

"Louis…" he tried, but Louis wasn't hearing anything as he fought with the buttons on Liam's shirt. He grunted softly as he struggled and Liam tried his hardest not to laugh. When he finally unbuttoned the last one, Louis sat up straight on Liam's lap and grinned before he pulled Liam up to him, kissing him hard as he pushed his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms.

Louis had torn off his own shirt seconds after they stumbled through the door, wasting no time in shedding his jacket before nearly ripping out every single button as quickly as he could. Liam had stared in wonder before Louis tackled him to the bed and pinned him, knees at his hips as their lips connected. Liam was electrified when he felt Louis' bare skin against his own and he craved even more.

Liam let out a whimper when Louis pushed him back down with a wicked grin, slowly sliding down his legs before making quick work of Liam's buckle. Liam lifted his hips to aid Louis in getting his trousers off, shivering when Louis pulled his pants down as well. Louis moaned in appreciation as he wrapped his hand around the base of Liam's cock before he wrapped his lips around the head and started sucking.

"Fuck, Louis--" Liam grunted, fisting his hands in Louis' hair again as Louis sank his mouth further down around his cock. "N-No…"

"No?" Louis breathed out as he pulled off of Liam's cock, letting the head brush against his lips and making Liam hiss. "You don't want…" he trailed off as he ran his tongue around the head, teasing the slit and causing Liam to lose his train of thought.

"I want…" Liam groaned, "I want _you_."

Louis grinned, licking a wide stripe up Liam's cock before he slid off the bed and tugged his own trousers and pants off. He climbed back up onto the bed, this time crawling on top of Liam backwards so that his cock was in Liam's face.

"That...better?" Louis asked, pausing to groan halfway through when Liam took his cock in hand and gave the head a teasing lick.

"Yeah," Liam moaned as Louis returned the favor, sinking his mouth back down around him as Liam started to jerk him off.

As much as Liam wanted Louis' cock in his mouth, he'd been struck with another idea. He kept one hand stroking Louis' cock steadily and used the other to bring Louis' hips closer to his chest. Louis gasped in surprise around his cock when Liam stuck his tongue out in a tentative lick against his hole, then moaned filthily when Liam did it again.

"That better?" Liam teased, breathing hotly against Louis' hole before he started licking again, pressing his tongue in further and making Louis shake.

"Oh, fuck," Louis groaned as he pulled off and pressed his forehead against Liam's hipbone. "Don't stop, Li," he begged, keeping one hand working Liam's cock as he fought for breath.

Liam moaned against Louis, regretfully letting go of his cock to spread him wider. Louis didn't seem to mind, letting out a whimper before he started sucking Liam again. His hips were steadily rocking against Liam's mouth, his cock dragging against Liam's chest and driving the both of them mad with desire.

Liam couldn't stop his moaning, too busy concentrating on not jerking his hips up into Louis' mouth as he got closer to his orgasm. Louis' technique had grown sloppy quickly, but it didn't matter. They were both so worked up that nothing mattered at all, they just had to keep going.

"Li--" Louis pulled off and cried out, "Liam, Liam, _Liam_ \--" he whimpered, shaking all over before he started to come all over Liam's chest.

Liam didn't relent; he kept licking and sucking Louis' hole until he came over Louis' fist, getting some on Louis' face as well. He dropped his head back against the pillows, gasping for breath as Louis collapsed beside him.

"Fuck," Louis said with a breathless laugh.

"Yeah," Liam echoed. Louis groaned and arched his back in a stretch before he sat up for about ten seconds before crawling on top of Liam and kissing him again.

Liam hummed softly, wanting nothing more than to keep kissing Louis for as long as possible, but there was another rather pressing matter at hand.

"Lou--"  he said, trying to pull away from Louis' lips, "we've got to clean up."

" _You_ do," Louis replied, kissing a line down Liam's neck and biting the same mark as he mumbled, "dirty boy."

" _Louis_ ," Liam groaned, wincing slightly since it was far too soon for his dick to be perking up again.

"Yeah, yeah," Louis huffed. "Shower. Then back to bed." He rolled off of Liam and consequently off the bed and onto the floor with a thud. Liam started to laugh as Louis scrambled to get to his feet, still too drunk to use his legs like a normal person.

"Need some help?" Liam asked as Louis steadied himself by gripping the edge of the bed. Louis gave Liam a once-over and smirked as he nodded his head towards the bathroom.

"Might do."

*

Liam's internal clock woke him up far too early the following morning, especially given that he'd only fallen asleep perhaps three hours before. He blinked wearily at the room around him, wincing from the throbbing in his head that reminded him just how much he'd had to drink the night before.

Of course, that was nothing compared to what he felt when he looked over at Louis in bed next to him and all the memories from the previous night came flooding back all at once.

"Oh my god," Liam mumbled as he buried his head in his hands, feeling shame wash over him as he remembered every touch and kiss shared between the two of them last night. He felt sick at once, disgusted with himself for having taken advantage of his best friend in a moment of weakness.

He scrambled out of bed and into the bathroom where he spent a good ten minutes dry-heaving over the toilet in an effort to rid himself of the contents of his stomach and - in a vain effort - all the mistakes he'd made.

When he reemerged, Louis was still fast asleep. He'd rolled over onto Liam's side and pressed his face into Liam's pillow, the sheet pulled up just far enough to cover below his waist. Liam's heart ached at the sight, desperately wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed next to him and pretend like everything was okay, as though he hadn't ruined everything last night.

But he couldn't. Liam quickly pulled on a pair of joggers and a shirt, grabbing the room key before he carefully opened the door and left Louis alone in the room.

In the back of his mind, nearly the only place that wasn't rife with worry about what would happen when Louis woke up, Liam remembered there was a farewell breakfast that morning and figured if he's going to stew in his misery he might as well be fed while doing so.

He kept his head down as he filled a plate, grabbing a cup of coffee before he found a secluded table and sat down by himself. Once he did, he realized that he wasn't hungry even in the slightest and he buried his head in his hands yet again.

Liam lost himself in his own thoughts; berating himself for not thinking clearly, for not being sensible enough to know what he did was wrong. He'd wanted it _so much_ , but even one night of everything he'd ever wanted wasn't enough to warrant losing his entire friendship with Louis. He had no idea how he was going to get Louis to even speak to him after all of this, but he'd already committed himself to the idea of spending the rest of his life begging Louis for forgiveness.

Liam jerked suddenly as he felt a hand on his shoulder, quickly dropping his hands from his face to see that Harry had appeared in the chair next to him.

"I've been calling--" Harry stopped, his smile turning to a worried frown immediately when he saw the ragged look on Liam's face, "hey, are you alright? You look awful, mate."

"M'fine," Liam replied, trying his best to plaster a smile on his face. He apparently failed miserably, if the look on Harry's face was anything to go by.

"Liam, what happened? Did you and Louis have a fight?"

"No, no, we umm…" Liam chuckled weakly, "we didn't have a fight."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll work it out." Harry gave Liam a small smile as he squeezed his shoulder in a comforting way, "you've made it this far, haven't you?"

"S'pose we have," Liam mumbled, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't keep up the charade any longer, especially without Louis around to help him along. "Harry, I've got to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Liam took a deep breath, not quite sure how he was going to explain the whole of the situation at hand, as he hadn't gotten that far in his own head. Harry waited patiently, giving Liam an earnest look and a soft smile that made him look very much like the young boy he'd known all those years ago, which made Liam's heart ache a little less about the current situation but a little more when he thought about the past.

"Me and Louis, y'see…" Liam sighed. "We're--"

"Here you are, Christ, I thought I'd lost you."

Liam looked up to see a man standing behind Harry, one hand gently pressed to the nape of Harry's neck and the other holding a plate of food. Harry turned around and smiled up at him, taking the plate before he tugged him down for a kiss on the cheek.

"You must be Liam," the man said, smiling brightly at him as he held out his hand. "Harry's told me loads about you."

"Yeah," Liam replied, staring curiously at him before he remembered his manners and shook his hand. "Sorry, who're you?"

"This is my husband, Zayn," Harry said proudly. "I've been trying to get you two to meet all weekend."

Liam blinked, his mouth ajar rather like an idiot as he stared at Harry and Zayn while his mind tried to process this information.

"You-Your husband?" Liam asked, just now noticing the gold band on Harry's left ring finger.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "going on, what, three years now?"

"Yeah," Zayn replied with a fond smile.

"Congratulations," LIam said with a laugh, "really, that's brilliant."

"S'pose I should thank you," Zayn said, "for not keeping him all to yourself."

"Zayn," Harry chastised lightly, elbowing him in the ribs, "hush. Liam's got something important to tell me, haven't you, Liam?"

"Umm, yeah, it's about Louis and me," Liam replied, his voice dropping off towards the end as he hung his head.

"Louis?" Zayn asked quietly, "is he the one--"

"Shh," Harry interrupted, putting his hand over Zayn's mouth.

"The one what?" Liam asked. Harry rolled his eyes, elbowing Zayn again before he turned to Liam.

"Well, I told Zayn about uni, y'know, about how you were head over heels in love with Louis but never admitted it?"

Liam ducked his head again, feeling exactly the same as he had all those years ago when Harry had told him they were over.

"M'glad you finally did," Harry went on, smiling at Liam, "you two seem like you're really good together."

"That's…" Liam groaned softly, "that's just it, we're not together."

"What…" Harry furrowed his brow in confusion, "I don't understand."

"We've, um, been pretending?" Liam groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Shit, that sounds even worse."

"Oh, Liam," Harry said as he gently rubbed Liam's back. "You still haven't told him, have you?"

"No," Liam admitted softly in a miserable tone.

"Why on Earth would you do this?" Harry asked.

"How does he still not know?" Zayn asked, giving Liam a confused look. "You two were all over each other last night, I don't know very many mates that do that."

"Y-You saw us?" Liam squeaked, feeling his stomach drop. "Oh, fuck."

"You weren't exactly trying to hide it," Harry said as he tried to hide his own amused smile. "Think you might've scarred some of your fellow dinner-goers for life."

"Fuck," Liam repeated, hiding his face behind his hands. "This is not happening."

"Cheer up, Li." Harry patted him on the back. "This could be exactly what you need!"

"What?" Liam sighed. "What're you talking about?"

"C'mon, who agrees to pretend to date their mate and then makes out with them in front of an entire dining hall?" Harry shook his head. "It's mad!"

"But...he…" Liam huffed. "It's not like that, he--"

"He what?" Harry asked.

"He-He doesn't…" Liam sighed. "He's not even here just for me, he's here for Nick bloody Grimshaw--"

"Nick?" Harry interrupted.

"Tall bloke?" Zayn asked. "Huge teeth?"

"Zayn!"

"What? He has got huge teeth!" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," he said, giving Zayn a pointed look, "Nick was only here one day. When we saw him on Friday he said he had to get back to the city the next morning."

"He...what?" Liam asked, "I don't...Louis never said…"

"Think you might need to talk to him, mate," Zayn said with a half-smile.

"Where is he, anyway?" Harry asked. "Thought for sure you'd be here together."

"He's, um, still in bed." Liam blushed as Harry's smile grew wide.

"In _your_ bed?"

"W-Well, there's just the one bed, so--"

Harry and Zayn looked at each other with equal amounts of glee, to which Liam replied with a groan as he laid his head down on the table.

"What're you still doing here?" Harry said as he shook Liam's shoulder. "Go back and get your man!"

"What if he doesn't want me?" Liam asked.

"Then he's a fool," Harry answered simply.

Liam stayed silent for a moment, and the memory of Louis' words before he quite literally pushed him out the door to go his first date with Harry popped into his mind.

_"If he doesn't love you immediately, he's a fool!"_

"Yeah," Liam said aloud as a smile spread across his face. "I have to tell him."

"Yes, you do." Harry beamed.

"I have to, um," Liam quickly stood up, "I have to go now, I have to--"

"Go on, Liam. Go get him." Harry leaned in to Zayn, who wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Thanks," Liam answered, already breathless with excitement, "good to see you again, and to meet you, Zayn."

"Likewise," Zayn called after Liam as he practically sprinted from the room.

Surprising himself, Liam didn't lose his nerve as he made his way back to the hotel. He had a moment of panic that once he got back to the room he wouldn't know what to say or he'd fall to pieces all over again. But he stayed strong, he kept telling himself that this is what he had to do.

He stopped halfway across the lobby, suddenly deciding he shouldn't go back to the room empty-handed. He ducked into the hotel's breakfast nook to grab a cup of tea for Louis, making sure to fix it exactly the way he liked.

Once he was standing in front of their door, he took a moment to breathe deeply and gather his thoughts. _I can do this_ , he told himself. All he had to do was open the door.

Liam had hoped Louis would still be asleep when he got back. He wasn't sure how long he'd been gone, but he didn't expect Louis to be awake yet.

He was wrong.

Louis was very much awake, and the room looked as though a tornado had blown through not too long ago. Liam surveyed the damage as he carefully stepped into the room, finding Louis sitting on the far corner of the bed with his knees pulled to his chest and the duvet wrapped around him.

"I...I brought tea," he offered weakly.

Louis sat up straight and turned his head to look at Liam over his shoulder. Liam held out the cup like a peace offering and Louis glared at him.

"Well, that's great. That's just...fucking great."

Louis started muttering to himself under his breath and Liam stood frozen with the cup still in his outstretched hand. He had no idea what to do.

"Louis, I--"

"...brought me a cup of tea," Louis grumbled, his voice growing louder as he went on, "as if that makes up for you LEAVING ME!"

"I..." Liam swallowed harshly as Louis suddenly stood up from the bed, letting the duvet fall away to reveal that he had yet to get dressed. Liam quickly looked away and Louis huffed loudly.

"That's right, look away! S'not like you haven't already seen everything--"

"Louis--"

"You left me!" Louis shouted. "I woke up and you weren't here. I thought maybe you'd gone to get breakfast or summat and you'd come back, but then you didn't!"

"But--"

"Did you know you left your phone? Because I didn't, until I tried to call you." Louis' voice was shaking, but he didn't let that stop him. "D'you know what it feels like to wake up thinking someone will be there and then they've completely disappeared?"

"No, but--"

"No, you don't! Do you have any idea what it's like to have the best night of your life and then have it ripped away the next morning?"

"I..." Liam paused as Louis' words sunk in. The look on Louis' face went from furious to terrified in a matter of seconds, and Liam didn't know how to react. "What?"

"I...just..." Louis gave a heavy sigh of defeat. "Last night...meant a lot, alright?"

Liam gently set the cup of tea down on the table by the door before he approached Louis, cautiously stepping around the scattered items all over the floor. Louis wouldn't look him in the eye, especially not when Liam was standing right front of him.

"Louis," he said softly as he cupped his hands around Louis' jaw. "It meant a lot to me, too. It meant everything."

Louis finally looked up at him; his eyes shining and bright, full of hope.

"But...Harry--"

"Harry's married, for fuck's sake." Liam sighed. "What about Nick?"

Louis looked away again and shrugged haphazardly.

"There never was anything between me and Nick. Dunno why I clung to it for so long." Louis sighed heavily. "Y'know what he said to me Friday?"

"What?" Liam asked softly.

"He said he'd thought we were together all throughout uni," Louis replied with a weak laugh. "Told him he was mad, that I'd fancied him for ages and..." Louis broke off and took a deep breath, "then I realized."

"Realized what?"

"I fancied you more. Dunno why it took hearing it from Nick to get me to realize it." Louis laughed again. "He laughed at me, the knob! Was he that much of a twat in uni?"

"Never got to know him," Liam admitted. "Was always too jealous."

"Jealous?" Louis repeated. Liam dropped his hands from Louis' face, grabbing his hands instead.

"Christ, Lou, I've been in love with you for ages. That's the reason Harry broke it off in uni."

"I...I didn't know," Louis said softly, squeezing Liam's hands as he kept his eyes on the floor. "If I'd known, I..."

"I know," Liam said as he leaned forward to press his forehead against Louis'. "I should've told you."

"M'sorry," Louis mumbled. "I dunno why I didn't tell you Saturday. I didn't think you felt the same and that this might be my only chance, y'know?"

"Reckon we're both idiots," Liam offered, and Louis laughed softly.

"Reckon we are." He tilted his head up just enough to brush their lips together in a light kiss, and Liam sighed softly. "All that time we wasted not doing this," Louis mumbled.

"We've got a lot to make up for," Liam agreed. Louis laughed, tilting his head back down and hummed softly.

"Why're you wearing clothes?" he asked, tugging lightly on the waistband of Liam's joggers. "You shouldn't be."

"I was in public, Lou," Liam answered with a soft, amused chuckle. "Kind of had to put clothes on."

"That's stupid," Louis huffed. "You should be naked and in bed with me. Always. When we go back, we're calling off work for at least a week and spending the whole time in bed."

Louis pushed Liam's joggers down before crawling back into the bed, pulling Liam down with him. Liam laughed as he tumbled forward, half-stuck in his joggers as Louis tried to pull his shirt off as well.

"Better?" he asked once they'd successfully gotten rid of his clothes and were curled up around each other.

"Much," Louis replied as he gave Liam a kiss. "Where were you, anyway?"

"Farewell breakfast," Liam answered just as his stomach rumbled. "Didn't eat anything, though."

"I see that," Louis replied with a laugh. "Idiot."

"Shut up," Liam frowned, "saw Harry."

Louis' grip tightened and Liam chuckled softly.

"And his husband."

"Right," Louis said as he loosened his grip. "Forgot."

"Idiot," Liam teased. "Harry's the one who told me to come back and tell you everything."

"Always liked Harry, I did."

"You did not."

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Di--" Louis rolled on top of Liam and covered his mouth with his own. Liam smiled into the kiss and when Louis pulled away, he was grinning.

"Could definitely get used to this," Louis said before he kissed Liam again.

"You're not going to win every argument by kissing me quiet," Liam replied. Louis hummed softly before peppering kisses all over his face.

"Maybe not," he said as he kissed Liam's lips, "but I'm going to damn well try."

**Epilogue**

"We don't have to do this."

"Yes, we do, Liam. It's in the rules."

"What rules?"

"The employee handbook. Haven't you read it?"

"No," Liam answered with a laugh.

"Well aren't you naughty," Louis replied. "Ought to get a spanking for that."

"Louis," Liam said through gritted teeth, "don't start. I bet you haven't read it either."

Louis shrugged. "Maybe you need to give _me_ a spanking."

The door behind them suddenly opened and there stood Niall with a slightly exasperated look on his face.

"I don't want to know why you're talking about spanking, but I do want to know why you're doing it outside my door."

"Because we've got something to tell you," Louis said as he grabbed Liam's arm and pulled him into Niall's office. Niall gave Liam a strange look but closed the door behind them, shaking his head as he made his way back to his desk.

"Alright, let's have it."

"Liam and I want to declare our love."

Niall stared blankly at them for a moment before he burst into laughter.

"You serious?" Louis nodded. "To each other?"

"No, you idiot, to the _company_ ," Louis replied.

"Lou," Liam chastised, "don't call Niall an idiot."

"Wait, wait, why're you declaring it to the company?" Niall asked.

"Is that not a thing?" Louis asked. "Coworkers dating and all that?"

"S'pose it would be, if you were going to fuck up the company by dating each other." Niall shook his head. "But you work in different departments and you're not each other's boss so really, the company doesn't need to know shit."

Liam buried his face in his hands while Louis clapped his hands together.

"Excellent! See, Liam? You were all worried for nothing."

"I wasn't--" Liam groaned. "I didn't even want--"

"He was," Louis interrupted, turning back to Niall. "Up all night worried about it."

"M'sure he was," Niall replied dryly, winking at Liam. "Now go forth and don't fuck up the company."

"Question," Louis said, causing Liam to pause as he began to stand up. "Does the company frown on fucking in the office?"

"Louis!" Liam cried out as Niall burst into laughter and pointed at the door.

"In my office it does. Get out!"

"I can't believe you," Liam mumbled once they were out of Niall's office.

"What?" Louis huffed. "It's a valid question."

"Ridiculous," Liam muttered as Louis followed him into his office, shutting the door behind him.

"Please," Louis said with another huff as Liam sat down in his chair. "As if you haven't already thought about bending me over your desk."

Liam's breath hitched and Louis gave him a wicked smile as he sat down on top of Liam's desk, hooking his foot around Liam's knee to draw him closer.

"Knew it," Louis said as Liam put his hands on his thighs.

"Always putting naughty ideas in my head," Liam said as he leaned in to press a kiss to Louis' lips, despite the fact that neither of them could stop grinning.

"You love it."

 

**Author's Note:**

> [my tumblr](http://imlouisaf.tumblr.com)


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